Free tools The Shortlist
The Shortlist · Free scorecard
What Business Should I Start?
Seven honest questions about your money, time, temperament and what you enjoy. Out come the businesses that actually fit you, from 20 real models, each with its numbers, the catch and your first step.
How much can you put in before it earns anything?
Money you can lose without it changing your life.
Hours a week you can actually give it?
Real hours, after the job and the family.
How do you feel about selling to people directly?
Calls, meetings, following up, being told no.
Will you go on camera?
Your face, your voice, publicly, regularly.
How technical are you willing to get?
Connecting tools, reading documentation, fixing what breaks.
How soon do you need money out of this?
Be honest. This is the one people fool themselves on.
What do you enjoy?
Pick up to three. It breaks ties in favour of work you would like.
Your best fit appears here
RayAnswer the first question and your shortlist starts forming.
Questions
How is this different from the other "what business should I start" quizzes?
Most of them return a category — "start a consulting business" — because a generic quiz has nothing more specific to give. Every result here is a named model with the money it makes, the capital it needs and the honest catch, because each one is a business we have written a full blueprint for. It also tells you where a recommendation strains against what you said, so you can argue with it.
Why does it ask how soon I need money?
Because it is the easiest one to answer hopefully. It is tempting to say you are building a long-term asset when the bank account needs paying within weeks, and that one answer rules out half the list. Answer it the way your bank account would, not the way you would like to be.
Is there an email gate on the result?
No. The usual shape is six screens, a fake loading spinner and an email form before the answer. That exists to harvest the address, not to help you. The answer appears as you go and you can leave without giving us anything.
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